The invention refers to a lashing rod having a locking head for connection to a corner casting on a container by way of a side access opening corresponding to the locking head, in the corner casting, a fitting being inserted into the cavity of the corner casting by way of a bottom access opening in the corner casting, said fitting being arranged lockable at the corner casting by means of a locking pin which in mounted condition lies in parallel with but eccentrically relative to the rotational axis of the locking head in the side access opening.
During transport containers need normally be lashed. To this end containers normally have a so called corner casting to which lashings may be connected. When containers are stacked, a fitting is mounted between vertically adjacent corner castings. The fitting may be coupled to the lower corner casting by means of a bayonet coupling for example.
Such fittings serve to protect mutual horizontal displacement of stacked containers. In order to prevent the overlying container to move vertically there are two possibilities. One possibility is to let the upper part of the fitting be provided with a bore which faces a side access opening in the wall of the corner casting. A locking pin may then be inserted into the bore of the fitting whereby the end of the locking pin will rest on the bottom wall of the corner casting. Hereby the overlying container is vertically fixed relative to the underlying container (or a support base). The other possibility is to utilize a lashing rod having a locking head. The locking head has a locking stud which may be brought to grip behind the opening edge of the corner casting by pivoting the lashing rod (and thereby the locking head), whereafter the lashing rod is connected to the support base (the deck of a ship for example). The latter method offers the advantage that the underlying container (s) may be stabilized such that the underlying container (s) does not become "sheared" under influence of the weight of overlying containers in the container stack.
A drawback relating to the first mentioned method is that a lashing cannot be attached where a locking rod is used. Moreover experience has demonstrated the difficulties of attaching and releasing respectively locking pins which often are mounted on a substantial height over the support base. Furthermore, experience has shown that locking pins are easily forgotten when the containers are to be unloaded, and this leads in turn to damages to the cranes and other equipment utilized to lift the containers, and to the the containers themselves.
A drawback relating to the second method is that a locking pin cannot be used when a lashing rod is utilized.
An object with the invention is therefore to provide a device by means of which the above mentioned drawbacks are avoided.
The prior art relating to the above container lashing technique comprises the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,125,965, 3,556,456 and 3,734,442 which reveal how containers are mutually locked by means of fittings and locking rods. Swedish Pat. Nos. 376,739 and 380,502 reveal how a locking head on a lashing rod or the like are connected to a container corner casting by pivoting the locking head in the side access opening of the corner casting whereby a locking stud on the locking head grips behind the opening edge of the corner casting.